When Pat Intraversato started Iron Coaching back in 2009, he already had decades of experience leading and coaching senior executives. His approach was built on one core belief: that relationships drive results. After 25 years with Xerox, Sun Microsystems, and Gateway Computers, Pat wanted to help people perform at their best while living intentional, well-balanced lives.

Over the years, he’s become certified in multiple assessments, but one tool that’s remained central to his work is the Strength Deployment Inventory® (SDI®). Even so, he’s the first to remind facilitators that the SDI by itself isn’t enough. “In my work, the SDI is a powerful diagnostic tool—but it is most effective when embedded within a broader leadership and relationship framework.”

This framework has guided his work with corporate leaders and athletic coaches alike, including a memorable partnership with Coach Victor Santa Cruz, a college football coach who learned to transform his team culture through relationship intelligence.

Combining the SDI with Emotional Intelligence

Pat always connects SDI insights to the framework of emotional intelligence, which he defines through four stages: emotional self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. “Most people stop at self-awareness,” he explained. “But unless we develop all four, especially relationship management, we struggle to navigate conflict effectively.”

To help skeptical sports audiences buy in, he uses a metaphor they love: neuroplasticity. The brain’s ability to grow and change is like a muscle. “That language clicks for them,” Pat said. “They already think in terms of reps and practice. So, when they learned they could strengthen their emotional intelligence the same way, they buy in fast.”

From Sideline Stress to Sustainable Success

When Pat first met Coach Santa Cruz in 2010, the program was struggling. In four seasons, the team had managed only 14 wins against 28 losses, and the pressure from alums was mounting. The coach, high in Red (performance) motives and driven by results, carried that weight personally.

One turning point came when the coach began reviewing not just plays, but his own sideline reactions—getting curious about how his behavior impacted players and staff. “The first thing he did was start looking at himself on tape,” said Pat. “He got curious about his own reactions and how they were impacting players and staff.”

The SDI results revealed what was really happening. Much of the coaching staff was motivated by Blue (people) or Hub (flexibility and options), while the head coach’s Red communication style dominated the field. They were literally speaking different motivational languages. Pat used a translator metaphor: “If your staff is speaking Chinese, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese, would you keep talking to them in English or find an interpreter?”

When conflict hit, the disconnect widened. The coach went through Stage 1 Red, direct, intense, and command-oriented, while most of his staff shifted into more reflective or accommodating patterns. Once they saw the contrast mapped out, everything made more sense. They were living the same moments but experiencing them very differently.

Coaching Change, One Conversation at a Time

Working together, Pat and the coaching staff put their SDI insights into action on the sideline. When a bad play sent the offensive coordinator into Stage 1 Green conflict—quiet, analytical, and withdrawn—he stopped communicating over the headset. Because there are seconds between plays and play calling, the coaching staff helped the offensive coordinator identify five to ten “go-to” plays the offensive coordinator could call automatically to keep drives moving and reduce sideline stress.

When the head coach grew frustrated with a quiet, analytical player, insisting, “he’s not committed.” Pat encouraged him to try a different approach. “Ask him what he saw,” Pat advised. “Ask him what he thinks he needs to do differently.” The shift from directing to eliciting feedback changed everything. The same player became one of the locker room’s most respected leaders and a strong supporter of the coach.

Another lesson struck even deeper. After a defensive mistake, a player received intense feedback that triggered a shutdown response on the very next play. Reviewing the tape, Pat used a physical injury analogy to illustrate how emotional injuries require the same level of care and recovery time. Emotional injuries are often invisible—and therefore easier to mishandle. The analogy stuck and changed how the staff responded to mistakes.

And when the coaching staff asked him to be more methodical, his lowest strength, he practiced in small ways. Choosing new uniforms became an experience in patience. He sought input, weighed options, and even saved money. What started as a stretch assignment became proof that slowing down can create better outcomes.

Results that Proved the Process

The transformation wasn’t overnight, but the impact was undeniable. In their first year working together, the team reached the playoffs for the first time in six years. They returned the next year and won their first playoff game. When they moved up to a tougher division, the season began with seven straight losses, but by week four, the coach had re-centered and ended the season with four consecutive wins. In the six years that followed, the team won its division four times.

How Sports Coaching Applies to Business Leadership

Because business leaders don’t have game film of their one-on-one conversations, Pat creates a “film room” another way by combining the SDI with stakeholder interviews and a comprehensive emotional-intelligence assessment to surface behavioral blind spots. Pat explores this “business film room” concept in greater depth in his forthcoming book, Turning Conflict into a Competitive Advantage, where he outlines how leaders can create structured feedback loops that mirror the clarity athletes gain from film review.

He reminds every client that intention means little without structure. “If you say you’ll do something but don’t write it down, there’s only a 33 percent chance you’ll do it,” he said. “Put it on the calendar, and it jumps to 75 percent.”

Pat calls his approach Relating for Results. “I don’t define your results,” he said. “They could be a better marriage, a stronger team, bottom-line profits, or a championship. But whatever they are, you only get there by relating well with others. You never do it alone.”

From Arenas to Offices

Today, Iron Coaching continues to bridge the worlds of athletics and leadership development. Whether Pat is on the sidelines or in a C-suite, his message stays the same: performance follows self-awareness and awareness of others.

“The question isn’t whether conflict happens,” he said. “It’s what you do next. In sports, you can see the impact immediately on the scoreboard. In business, it just takes a little longer to show up in the numbers.”

Either way, the lesson endures—when leaders relate on purpose, results tend to follow. These stories represent only a portion of the leadership lessons Pat shares through his coaching work and explores more fully in his upcoming book.